Souls, Wings, and Love, oh my!
by Captain Jasmine Vanity
Summary: A new school, a new day, a new life. Or not. "Is there something about us that just draws freaks?" "We are freaks, Max."  Going to school with another mutant? Go figure. Now, they just have to find her friends for her, and they'll be fine... Right?
1. oh yes We're up to something

_CH1_

_A normal day at school. That's what it is_. I decided as I walked through the hallways of the school_. No, not the school, we left that place on fire. Of course, there are still others, but that one is gone. Done. Finito. No more. _That cheery thought put a spring into my step as I walked through the cafeteria doors. Then I stopped dead. There were hundreds of hormonal teenagers cooped up inside a tiny cafeteria with about 3 windows. _Great. _Looking around, I finally spotted an almost empty table near a window. Seeing Fang enter through the opposite doors of the cafeteria, I waved him over to the table with me. As I sat, the girl at the other end looked up from her sketch pad in surprise. The surprise turned to slight annoyance when she saw Fang sit down, and then she looked back down at her drawing and continued sketching.

"So" I said, trying to make conversation. "I like your hair, who did it?"

The girl glanced up at me before saying, "I did. In my bathroom. This morning. Why?"

Her hair was cut short, with just one clump cut to hang low over her eyes, exactly like Fangs. The rest of it was black and spiked up and the tips were frosted. _Cool._ Before I could answer, a huge group of blondes that must have been cloned walked up to our table.

"Ooh, well if it isn't the new kids…and Keely…" there were a few snickers, and from the way the girl said It, I guessed she was the alpha female here. Keely must have been the other girl's name. "I guess weird birds flock together!" Clone ditz #1 said, giggling at her stupid joke.

"I guess they do…and you're living proof of it." Keely said, snapping her sketchbook shut and moving so she towered menacingly over Clone #1. The girl looked kinda freaked out, and I but I would too if someone Keely's size stood over me like that. She must have been around 6'2, if not more. I shot a look at Fang, and I saw his hands curl into fists at his sides. A small group had gathered around by now, and I guess the clones must have seen it, because they backed off really quickly. Keely quickly sat down, muttering curses under her breath.

"Who was blonde ditz clone?" the side of Keely's mouth twitched, which I took for her –and fangs version of unbridled chortling.

"Now you're an official member of this school- you've just met Bryttni."

I rolled my eyes and said, "So, are you Keely?" Keely nodded, just like I knew she would. Her eyes never left her sketchpad, but she asked,

"Can I see your schedules?" I nodded, and Fang and I slid both of ours across the table. Keely pulled out hers, and compared the 3.

"What are your names?" she asked, sliding the schedules back to us.

"Im max, and this is F-Nic."

Keely raised an eyebrow at us, "are you by any chance related to Iggy Ride? He wouldn't shut up about you guys."

I rolled my eyes. "Yup, that sounds just like our Iggy."

She nodded, and then said, "Well, it looks as if F-Nic and I both have the same classes. So what, is Iggy like, your brother or something?"

I glanced at Fang, paranoid already. I had never been good at answering questions.

"You could say that…" the answer, surprisingly enough, came from Fang. Keely glanced up from her sketch pad again. "So, what, are you guys adopted or something?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

She blushed for some reason, and stared at her page. "A man of many words?" she said sarcastically, moving her pencil around the page in random, sketching movements. I craned my neck, and was surprised to see a really good sketch of Fang. "Wow, you're good."

She blushed furiously and started to shut her sketchbook.

"No, hang on. Can I see them?"

Keely appeared to consider it, then she shrugged and handed me the sketchpad. As I flipped through it, I could tell from the pictures that she really like Fantasy, and was an amazing artist. I started to hand her the pad again, but a flash of red caught my eye and I opened to the picture. They were kinda creepy, bordering on disturbing. One was a girl holding a gun aimed at her head, with blood dripping down her wrists, and the other on the page was of a girl who had just shot herself. Butterflies poured out of her head, the only color in that picture. The first one was titled "suicidal tendencies", and the other was "fly". I showed Fang the drawings and handed the pad back. "Colorful," I commented dryly. Keely shifted her gaze from the drawing pad to Fangs face and blushed as their eyes met.

She mumbled something intelligible, and intertwined her fingers in her lap...

Fang grimaced and signaled for me to have a sidebar with him.

"Max? I think I need to talk to Keely....by herself. Im not sure, but she seems...confused."

"Why would _you_ do it though?"

"Because, I think I understand."

The comment made pain flare in my chest, and for a second, I wondered if grade 9's could have heart attacks. I felt hot tears prick the back of my eyes as he gazed at Keely, and I walked back to my seat. I grabbed my bag, and shoved my seat in... "Im going to go to my class early. I want to study."

Without waiting another second, I stood up and left. I looked behind me once more as I left, and felt tears brimming in my eyes. I banged the doors open, and slid down the wall next to the door, no caring who saw. _'What the heck is wrong with me? I never cry....well, almost never. But not about things like this!' _my first thought was _'I must be PMSing'_. My next was, _'Fang has never looked at me like that.'_ I rolled my eyes, and sighed at my own stupidity. _Of course he hasn't, we're just friends! He seems to like her, that's a good thing...I hope. Besides, Keely might be good for him. He's never brought up things like that before, especially not around me.'_ The bell rang, and I jumped. Slowly, I climbed to my feet and walked to my next class. Art with Mr. Plavic. Then I realized something. '_Crap! I have Fang and Keely in this class too!' _

When I opened the door, the class was still rowdy from lunch, and I looked around for an empty seat near the back. There was only one, and it was beside Keely. I walked over to it, and sat down, careful not to look at her. I pulled my book out of my bag, and when I was sure nobody was looking, I looked over at Keely. She had her head bowed down over a book, and she was scribbling furiously. Fang's head was bent close over her head, and his hand was on her back. She looked up at him and muttered something. He whispered back at her and glanced at the clock at the front of the room. He slowly straightened up, and as he did, his hand brushed against hers. Keely blushed and Fang said something quiet to her, then he sat in his spot, beside her in the next row. I let my hair fall in a curtain around my face and sighed. Apparently Fang and Keely were up to something.


	2. Brownie points? no thanks

CH2

Somehow, I survived my classes without dying, barfing, or curling up into a little tiny ball and crying. No seriously, I'm proud of myself. When we finally got to the end of the day, I was ready to log some major flight hours. For some reason, Flying seems to loosen of the emotional kinks in my mind, and God knows I have a lot of those. Fang and Keely were sitting next to each other in home room the last period, and I was anxiously tapping my pen against the desk. I stared at the clock, willing it to go faster.

"Two minutes until the bell, please tidy up your books" said the teacher, vainly trying to regain control of the class. It didn't work.

I saw Fang and Keely laughing together in the corner, and I sighed. _'I give up! Im going t-' _I was interrupted in my thoughts by a loud,

"Hey Max!!!! Come over here!"

Looking around, I saw Keely waving frantically at me to come and join them. Shrugging, I walked over to them, after taking my time with packing my books.

"What?"

Keely raised an eyebrow, interested in my apparent lack of respect. "I was wondering if you wanted to bring your brothers and sisters over to my-"she was cut off by music sounding from her pocket. "Oops, I didn't turn my cell phone off after lunch. Guess I 'forgot'" she smirked, and reached into her pocket for her cell. Flipping it open, she faced the wall and muttered, "Hello?"

I heard the voice on the other side clearly; her phone must have been turned all the way up.

"Keely, where the F**K are you? I said you were supposed to come home at 2:50 on weekends!"

"Onii, it's not a weekend!" she paused, "Are you drunk?" She asked accusingly. "I told you I would leave-"

The voice on the other end was extremely slurred, and they spoke sluggishly. "I HAVE YOUR THINGS! YOURE COMING HOME! YOURE GOING TO BE IN SHITT UP TO YOUR EARS! YOURE GOING TO BE SO FU-"

Keely snapped the cell phone shut and shoved it deep into her pocket. She turned to face us, and looked at me. "Never mind. Forget it; tonight's not really the best time."

I nodded at Keely, and picked my bag up from the ground.

Our teacher rapped a yardstick on her desk and cleared her throat. "Class, we only-"

The bell rang, and the entire class raced out the door, including me. The only people who stayed behind were Fang and Keely, but I ignored it. Fang would catch up in time, and Keely....well, she would do whatever Keely's did on school nights. I started on the way to Iggy's class, two doors down from mine. I saw him standing next to some girl and talking animatedly to her, but I had no patience. I cleared my throat, and I watched as he quickly apologized and said goodbye to the girl, and walked down the hall toward me.

"Hey, Max." he said tiredly. "Where's Fang?"

I jumped as a smooth and velvety voice behind us said, "right here." I knew it was Fang, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up anyways. "Fang, I told you to stop sneaking up behind me!"

"Heh, did I scare you? Im sorry" he apologized, though he clearly was not.

Fang ignored me, and slapped Iggy on the back in fake congratulations... or at least, I hope it was faked. "Nice going with the ladies, man! You had, like 6 of them hanging off your every word, and you're blind! What happened to Ella?"

Iggy frowned, annoyed, and I interrupted. "So sorry to stop you guys from continuing your testosterone-fueled talk, but Ig, can you go get the rest of the flo- err, I mean, the guys?" I had no idea where the sudden strangeness from Fang had come from, but it was really weirding me out. I wasn't used to him talking so much.

He sighed in mock exasperation, and I smacked him upside the head.

"Hey! Don't hit the blind kid!" he protested, running straight down the hallway and out the door.

We finally qualified for high school, and Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge's school was beside ours. "Sooo...? Fang, what was that with Keely?"

Fang looked away, and muttered something about issues.

"Does that mean im right? There was something?" I asked. He never got a chance to answer, because just then, Iggy showed up with the flock. For some reason, I felt like bugging him about Keely. I don't know why, I mean, it didn't earn me brownie points or anything....but then again, I was never one for brownie points.


	3. WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THE PHONE?

CH3

As we walked home, Angel and Nudge played some new clapping games they had learned at recess, and Iggy and Gazzy walked behind us, talking about various pyromaniac-related activities. I had a sneaking suspicion I really didn't want to know exactly _what _it was they were talking about. The entire way home, I was hyperaware of Fang walking silently beside me. He seemed lost in thought, so I never said anything to bother him. I looked around, whistling. The fall wind was fresh and invigorating, and the leaves looked all different shades of red, orange, brown, and yellow. It was so beautiful that I felt....like an idiot. But I didn't feel so worried. I couldn't even remember why I was worried in the first place, until Fang sidled over to me.

"What do you think was wrong with Keely? I mean, after she got that phone call, she seemed as if she was dreading something...?"

"Fang, you heard the phone call! If that was my guardian, I wouldn't be too thrilled about going home, either. So why are you so worried?"

"There was just...something about it that seemed different than normal people not wanting to go home to a drunken parent...I don't know what it is, but something's weird..."

"Maybe it's the fact that you're getting close to someone outside of the flock that's making you feel all weird?"

Fang looked sideways at me and muttered something couldn't hear. I rolled my eyes and sighed, sensing his worry.

"Don't worry so much, hey? We're all going to be here for you, and we won't desert you... even if you do start acting like an idiot."

He chuckled, "who says I'll start acting like an idiot?"

i rolled my eyes, "you've _always_ been an idiot...just sometimes more than others."

He shook his head, "thanks, Max."

I smiled, "that's why we all stick together... so, do you like her?"

Instead of answering, he just grunted in a very Fang-like way, and walked faster.

I stared at his retreating back in resignation, but couldn't resist one last joke. "Was that a grunt yes, or a grunt no?"

"It was a, _shut-up-before-I-rip-your-head-off,-because-you're-getting-into-personal-territory_ kind of grunt, I think" said Iggy helpfully.

Fang stopped walking, and turned around to glare at us. "It was a noncommittal grunt," said Fang, "and I'm still deciding. One thing's for sure; she's less annoying than the two of you!"

Iggy and I muffled laughs behind our hands, and when Fangs back was turned, slapped high fives.

"Mission for today: to annoy Fang... Mission Accomplished!"

Gazzy heard "mission accomplished," and started humming the "mission impossible" theme, and darted around like James Bond and holding his hands up like a gun.

By the time we _finally _got home, I was more than relieved. We lived quite a ways away from the school, and walking all the way back from school with the _entire_ flock was a feat I'd be willing to bet more than half of you couldn't handle. I smelled Chocolate chip cookies, and ran into the kitchen to grab some, ignoring the ringing of the phone in my mad dash to beat everyone else. I heard the ringing stop, and recognized my moms voice as she answered.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Yes, may ask who this is?"

More silence. The entire flock had stopped talking, for once.

"Oh...yes, just a second."

Mom came into the kitchen carrying the phone, and raised an eyebrow at Fang as she covered the receiver. "Fang, it's for you... and it's a girl. Before you two rush off to get married, I want to meet her."

Iggy laughed, and I shook my head in amusement.

"Hello?"

He was close enough that with my super hearing (hey, its not bragging if its true, okay?) I could hear the other person.

"Uhhhh...hi. Nick?"

"Keely? Are you okay?"

"Um, kinda. I was just wondering..."

"KEELY! YOU'D BETTER NOT BE CALLING TH-"

"Hang ON, Seth! I'm not calling-"

The rest of the shouts were muffled, and I figured Keely had her hand over the receiver. Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge left to watch TV, figuring that nothing interesting was going to happen, and Iggy and Ella took the plate of cookies downstairs.

"Sorry about that..."

"Keely, whats going on?"

"That's what I was going to tell you... can you come over? I need to get out...my Brother's drunk again."

"Again? What do you mean again? Forget it. What about your parents?"

"That's part of what I need to explain... they don't know. They're not even here. They're dead."

"Hang on. I'll come over as soon as I can... but I have to ask you something. Has he hit you?"

"Well...kinda."

"Where's you r house?"

"116 Aerienne"

"Okay."

"Bye, Nick."

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THE PHONE? I SAID NO-"

Fang hung up, and I could see his worried expression. He knew I had heard everything, and looked at me for affirmation.

"Go, Fang. But be warned, I think she needs a hug right now. Do you want me to come along?"

"Nah, its okay. If I need you, I'll call."

"Okay...but try not to hurt Keely's brother, okay?"

He nodded, and stepped out the door. _'What the heck is going on? He's known her one day, and already he's going off to help her. Am I missing something? Or has he really fallen for her?'_


	4. and then it happened

CH4

:FANG'S P.O.V:

Standing in the doorway of someone's house, expecting impending doom, isn't easy. Even if I _do _defy death on a regular basis. From inside Keely's house, I could hear screams and shouts, and wondered what was going on. i raised my hand to knock again, but the door opened, and I was faced with Keely's teary-eyed and startled face.

"Nick.....please, let's go now. I need to get out of here."

"Walk with me. And talk. What happened to your parents?"

Keely locked the door behind them, and started down the driveway. I followed, and Keely started talking as I caught up.

"The person taking care of me right now is my brother, and his name is Hotare. My name is actually Kyoko, but everyone calls me Keely because it's easier."

"So, your parents are-uh, were, Japanese?"

"I don't know.. "Hotare" means, "firefly," ad originally was a girls name. They spelled it differently, though. My name, "Kyoko", means Mirror. My full name means something along the lines of, "night rain through shadow mirror, or something else equally as full of B.S. I'm not totally sure who named me, I mean, I don't even remember my parents."

I frowned. "So, who are you living with right now?"

Keely looked distinctly uncomfortable, and she answered with a simple, "my brother."

"If you don't know your parents, then how do you know he's your brother?"

"DNA tests. I've had to have a lot of tests done. That's also part of how I got my phobia of needles."

"So, he's drunk a lot?"

"All the time. And if he's not, he's either got a girl over, or he's high. Not exactly the best role model...but he's all I've got."

"So why do you stay with him?"

"Like I said, he's all I've got. And, he's got all of my stuff. I have no friends to move in with, and no money. Even if I did leave, the CAS would be on his back about me, and then, somehow, he'd find me, and he'd find a way to punish me or get me back... not exactly the happiest life. Yes, I speak from experience. It's happened before. But, that's all I'm telling you about it."

I stayed silent for a second, digesting the story. She sounded a little like us, always running away, not coming from the happiest background, and not remembering our parents at all. "What _do _you remember of your childhood?"

She didn't say anything for such a long time that I thought that she had stopped walking with me. "Keely? Are you okay?"

"Uhhhh...yes...no.... kinda-" she paused suddenly and put a hand to her forehead, swaying on the sidewalk. I reached out for her shoulder, and as soon as I made contact, it happened.


	5. Life's Story

CH5

:FLASHBACK:

A white room, stark white and totally empty and devoid of life...except for the corner. There are 8 cold, metal cages. All of them but one contain something....humans. All within the age range of 3-10 years old. Each child look miserable, and all are covered in dirt, blood, and other overall grime. They shifted uncomfortably, and one coughed, a low, unhealthy sound. The door opened, and two evil looking men stepped in. they were dragging a small body behind them. As his face came into view of the smallest crate, the girl inside let out a muffled gasp of surprise. The boy being dragged was 6, and he was covered in blood. He was cute, with shaggy black hair that had mostly fallen out of its ponytail. He wore sandals and olive cargo pants, and his tattered black tank top was soaked with sweat and blood. He had a wrist band on his left wrist, dog tags around his neck, and one silver earring. His eyes were silver –not that you could see them-, and his skin was a gorgeous tanned color.

"Shut up, ya dirty little bitch. We don't lock dead bodies in cages." They threw the boy into the cage next to hers, and as soon as they left, she grabbed the bars of her cage. She was three years old, but had already seen more of eth world than most would see in their lifetime. Her hair was long, and reached down to her waist. Her skin was the darkest of browns, and her soulless black eyes seemed to absorb any light. She was tall for her age, and her green cargos only barely fit her. Chains hung from the pants, and her tiny black tank top had a silver stripe down the middle that matched their color perfectly. She was barefoot, and she had a pair of fingerless gloves on her hands. A necklace of bone rested around her neck, and over that was a set of dog tags. A pair of goggles also hung around her neck, and they slipped off as she gripped the bars harder.

"Narcissus? Answer me, wake up!"

No answer.

"Nar? Superbia?"

The boy remained motionless.

"PRIDE!!!! WAKE THE HELL UP, DAMMIT!"

He blearily opened his eyes and raised his head. It flopped back down, but the girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"GAWD, Kyo! Don't be so pushy!" called a sarcastic voice, speaking to the girl. The person who spoke was a girl, and she looked to be about 5 years old. She wore a pair of faded denim short-shorts, and a purple tank top. A thin silver chain hung round her right wrist, and she had similar silver chains around both of her ankles. Her hair was dyed pink, and it stretched down to her shoulders. It was wavy, and gorgeous, and her eyes were crimson.

The boy looked around through one barely open eye. "Angel? Shut. Up. I'm too tired for your sarcastic crap right now."

"Hey, who died and made you god?" Angel answered back.

"I sure didn't..... Because as far as I know, I'm not dead. Not yet."

"C'mon Kyo, you'll never die. Don't be so...morbid."

Kyo rolled her eyes, and the door opened. Three men walked in, two rugged and lupine-looking –erasers-, the other wearing a white coat and carrying a clipboard. One of the wolfish men poked a finger through the bars of Angel's cage and stroked her cheek.

"Hey angel... hope you survive next time D&D see ya...it'd be a shame to lose such a pretty plaything."

The white coat cleared his throat nervously. "Now gentlemen, we have work to do. Which one of you is, "Kyoko" please?"

Kyo –Kyoko, that is, - snorted. "Please? How about, "please grow a backbone and start thinking for yourself, -the-eff-they've-decided-to-call-you"

The man frowned. "That would be you?"

"Well, I don't see anyone else in here coming up with smart-ass remarks, do you?"

The man cleared his throat, flustered.

"I see...they didn't tell you about how unwilling to co-operate I was, did they? Well, I'll tell you now." She spat on his shoes.

"Um...right then. If you will, uh...misters...?"

One eraser looked at the other uncertainly. He sighed; face palmed, and rolled his eyes.

"The girl, you idiot, the girl. Get the girl!"

"The girl has a name, dumbass. "Its" name is Keely."

The stupid Eraser unlocked Keely's cage, and she sprang out instantly. She sucker punched the eraser closest to her in eth gut, and then tackled the other into eth wall. She kicked the white coat in the fork of his legs, and ripped the clipboard from his hands. She beat his head with it until the eraser pulled her away and kicked her in the side. She rolled onto the floor, groaning, but the distraction had been enough time for Narcissus to pick the lock of his cage. He sat in it, motionless, but as Keely was carried out, he winked at her. She flashed him a thumbs up, but winced as the eraser, nursing his arm, snapped his wolfish jaws at her. The door shut behind all four, sealing the rest of the kids in silence. Then, a boy in another cage kicked at the bars, breaking the eerie quiet that hung over the room.

"Why can't we just kick their asses and leave already? I mean, we're already way stronger than they are!"

"Wrath, not everyone is as angry as you," an older-looking boy said tiredly. He had green hair, pale skin, and pure emerald-green eyes. He wore shorts, and his tank top was made from a thin, see-through material. He wore Combat boots, and he had several visible tattoos on his neck and shoulders. He was only 8. Wrath was 7, and he wore a black t-shirt. His jeans were black, and the sweatband around his head was black as well. He wore combat boots, and his brown eyes danced with fury. He had short blonde hair, and was average height for his age.

"Yeah, well, Gluttony, not everyone is as fat as you, either!"

Gluttony frowned. "I'm not fat, am I?"

The boy in the farthest corner shook his head. He had tanned skin, pure ocean-blue eyes, shaggy dirty-blonde hair, and looked like a surfer. He had a ripped whit tank top on, and his boarder shorts were stained with blood. He wore a white rope and shell necklace, and flip-flops.

"Gull, you couldn't get fat if you tried....not like you'd have enough food to try"

Another boy, sitting in the cage farthest from the door, rolled his eyes. "Neither could you, Sloth. Even if you sat around on your lazy ass for the rest of your life...which, knowing you, you would, too. I wish I was as thin as you!" This boy had short brown hair, and glasses, which he pushed up on then bridge of his nose. His eyes were grey, and he wore a normal black school uniform. He was about 5 ½, and was equally as blood-stained as the rest of them.

"Envy, none of us could get fat. It's impossible. And once they're done with Keely, she won't be able to get fat, either." The girl who spoke had short, midnight blue hair, and tangerine colored eyes. Her skin was tanned, and she was short. She wore a grey tank top, dark blue shorts, augs, and a sliver bracelet.

"what do you mean, Greed?"

"you know what I mean. You all know what I mean. You know what they're doing to her out there."

As if in reply to her comment, a scream of pure agony echoed throughout the room.

Narcissus paled. "oh, god....that was Keely. I'd recognize that anywhere. What are they _doing _to her?"

It was Sloth's turn to answer. "they're "gifting" her..... And probably punishing her for this time and the last time she tried to run." Nobody spoke for a long time. When they did, it was only to cry out in surprise as a broken and bloody body was tossed carelessly into the room. Narcissus opened the door of his cage, not caring who saw him. "god Kyo....what did they do to you?"

:END FLACHBACK:


End file.
